Ursa_Eagle Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 exactly, and I get pissed off when people make it sound like if you're not comfortable with it, they're obviously much better than you... me, I'm comfortable with it, prolly more so than I should be, but I do *NOT* hold it against people if they're not as comfortable as I am... Quote
Sphinx Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Ursa_Eagle said: Sphinx said:Â Minx, if you aren't comfortable rappelling then I hope that you started 'climbing' roughly two days ago. so now anyone who has ever started climbing is required to be comfortable with rappelling within two days after they first climbed??? I rarely say this to anyone, but I think you need to learn about how dangerous rappelling can be the hard way... As I read it, Minx isn't afraid of the danger that rappelling can entail. I read that she's afraid of the rappel itself. It can be dangerous, but I, for one, am one hell of a lot more scared of a big fall than a rappel off of good anchors. Being scared of leaning away from the wall and trusting the rope is normal, but you get over it fast. It's not good if you don't. Â Oh, and also, how is rappelling more dangerous than climbing? If you climb, you NEED to know how to set up an anchor, clip in to it, and rap off if need be. There's no excuse not to. Quote
RobBob Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 damn, this thread is a lot more fun than that salmon one... Quote
Greg_W Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Sphinx said: Ursa_Eagle said: Sphinx said:Â Minx, if you aren't comfortable rappelling then I hope that you started 'climbing' roughly two days ago. so now anyone who has ever started climbing is required to be comfortable with rappelling within two days after they first climbed??? I rarely say this to anyone, but I think you need to learn about how dangerous rappelling can be the hard way... As I read it, Minx isn't afraid of the danger that rappelling can entail. I read that she's afraid of the rappel itself. It can be dangerous, but I, for one, am one hell of a lot more scared of a big fall than a rappel off of good anchors. Being scared of leaning away from the wall and trusting the rope is normal, but you get over it fast. It's not good if you don't. Â Oh, and also, how is rappelling more dangerous than climbing? If you climb, you NEED to know how to set up an anchor, clip in to it, and rap off if need be. There's no excuse not to. Â Majority of accidents happen while rappeling. Plus, there is no backup if your rap anchor fails, just ask Stefan. Rapping off of bolted anchors is one thing, but out in the mountains it can be downright nervous. Quote
Sphinx Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 ryland_moore said: I've been climbing for eleven years now and still hate rappelling. This is mainly because I am not in control. Even on a runout with a bad decking potential, it doesn't bother me as much because I am in control. A rappel is about trusting gear and gear only. No way to save yourself if the gear fails. My 2 cents. Funny picts b the way! You hate rappelling. Yes, but are you scared of the rappel itself? Would you be scared to rappel off of an absolutely bombproof anchor, with knots in the ends of your rope, seeing that the rope reaches the next anchor? I doubt it. Quote
AlpineK Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Ursa_Eagle said: Sphinx said:Â Minx, if you aren't comfortable rappelling then I hope that you started 'climbing' roughly two days ago. so now anyone who has ever started climbing is required to be comfortable with rappelling within two days after they first climbed??? I rarely say this to anyone, but I think you need to learn about how dangerous rappelling can be the hard way... Â If I was instructing a newbie to rappel I would take them to a real cliff and send them over the edge (with a lot of talking and a back up belay) At least thats what I've done in the past. Quote
minx Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Sphinx said: Ursa_Eagle said: Sphinx said:Â Minx, if you aren't comfortable rappelling then I hope that you started 'climbing' roughly two days ago. so now anyone who has ever started climbing is required to be comfortable with rappelling within two days after they first climbed??? I rarely say this to anyone, but I think you need to learn about how dangerous rappelling can be the hard way... As I read it, Minx isn't afraid of the danger that rappelling can entail. I read that she's afraid of the rappel itself. It can be dangerous, but I, for one, am one hell of a lot more scared of a big fall than a rappel off of good anchors. Being scared of leaning away from the wall and trusting the rope is normal, but you get over it fast. It's not good if you don't. Â Oh, and also, how is rappelling more dangerous than climbing? If you climb, you NEED to know how to set up an anchor, clip in to it, and rap off if need be. There's no excuse not to. Â Sphinx, i do have some common sense. i've even been known to choose to rap rather than down climb some scary shit. that still doesn't keep the thought that my anchor is going to fail or some freak thing is going to happen. seems like i read more accident reports about rappells rather than climbing. the entire 1st half of the rap of monkeyface last w/e i kept thinking "fuck fuck fuck, i hope that knot holds, fuck fuck fuck, i hope that anchor is as solid as it seems, fuck fuck fuck" it's been 15yrs since my first rappel and i still don't like it much Quote
Ursa_Eagle Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Alpinfox said: Ursa, I think a lot of people here who are laughing at these pictures have taught total newbies how to climb. I really enjoy taking newbies out into the mountains and seeing them learn and enjoy climbing. I think its great that the chubby guy is out in the woods and not sitting on the couch, but the activities shown in these pictures are pretty silly. To me they demonstrate that the Mountaineers (and similar groups) are often more about subjecting people to meaningless, humiliatingly simple rites-of-passage rather than teaching climbing skills the way a friend would for example.  Newbies Climbing clubs  Alpinfox, thanx for the useful reply. I agree that the pictures may look a little rediculous, but you gotta start somewhere, and in some cases you don't know what's outside of the picture. Some people want to climb, but don't know anyone else who does, and these groups provide a way so they can learn. They guy in first picture is walking down a slab. If I'd never done it before, I'd certainly want to try it on that rock rather than on something steeper 1000 feet above the deck (even though it could be done.) For all the people who are joking about this, are these people in the picture preventing you from climbing? Are they pouring sugar in your gas tank and pissing on you from great heights? Quote
Sphinx Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 minx said: Sphinx said: Ursa_Eagle said: Sphinx said:Â Minx, if you aren't comfortable rappelling then I hope that you started 'climbing' roughly two days ago. so now anyone who has ever started climbing is required to be comfortable with rappelling within two days after they first climbed??? I rarely say this to anyone, but I think you need to learn about how dangerous rappelling can be the hard way... As I read it, Minx isn't afraid of the danger that rappelling can entail. I read that she's afraid of the rappel itself. It can be dangerous, but I, for one, am one hell of a lot more scared of a big fall than a rappel off of good anchors. Being scared of leaning away from the wall and trusting the rope is normal, but you get over it fast. It's not good if you don't. Â Oh, and also, how is rappelling more dangerous than climbing? If you climb, you NEED to know how to set up an anchor, clip in to it, and rap off if need be. There's no excuse not to. Â Sphinx, i do have some common sense. i've even been known to choose to rap rather than down climb some scary shit. that still doesn't keep the thought that my anchor is going to fail or some freak thing is going to happen. seems like i read more accident reports about rappells rather than climbing. the entire 1st half of the rap of monkeyface last w/e i kept thinking "fuck fuck fuck, i hope that knot holds, fuck fuck fuck, i hope that anchor is as solid as it seems, fuck fuck fuck" it's been 15yrs since my first rappel and i still don't like it much But what's the point of worrying that a knot will untie? When hanging at a belay are you worried about the same thing? I get scared rapping off an anchor that I am not sure is good. Worrying about three huge bolts set in good rock is irrational, and just provides excess mental baggage. Worrying about your knots is something you shouldn't do, because if you don't trust what you have set up, then you shouldn't do it. I worry about what I can't control: sharp edges, poor anchors, etc. Quote
Sphinx Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Ursa_Eagle said: Alpinfox said: Ursa, I think a lot of people here who are laughing at these pictures have taught total newbies how to climb. I really enjoy taking newbies out into the mountains and seeing them learn and enjoy climbing. I think its great that the chubby guy is out in the woods and not sitting on the couch, but the activities shown in these pictures are pretty silly. To me they demonstrate that the Mountaineers (and similar groups) are often more about subjecting people to meaningless, humiliatingly simple rites-of-passage rather than teaching climbing skills the way a friend would for example.  Newbies Climbing clubs  Alpinfox, thanx for the useful reply. I agree that the pictures may look a little rediculous, but you gotta start somewhere, and in some cases you don't know what's outside of the picture. Some people want to climb, but don't know anyone else who does, and these groups provide a way so they can learn. They guy in first picture is walking down a slab. If I'd never done it before, I'd certainly want to try it on that rock rather than on something steeper 1000 feet above the deck (even though it could be done.) For all the people who are joking about this, are these people in the picture preventing you from climbing? Are they pouring sugar in your gas tank and pissing on you from great heights? No, but they clog up scrambles, and call themselves climbers. Quote
scot'teryx Posted September 5, 2003 Author Posted September 5, 2003 I hate rappeling, basically becuase your not in a system, only if you use a backup prusik, which I have never done. I do like to have a fireman's belay whenever possible though. Multipitch rappels are never fun. When we bailed off of Forbidden this last week, I hated it. Â I wish I could get a Magic Carpet Quote
bunglehead Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 I sometimes use a backup prussik, or usually an autoblock, but I get lazy sometimes when I'm sport climbing and I don't use one. Bad bad bad. I'm with you guys that say it's the only time you're not in control. Rapping introduces more objective hazards. Quote
Attitude Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 The most important part of climbing is the logos on the equipment. Quote
Fejas Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 I don't think most of us are talkin shit about the actual people doing the routine, but the routine itself... Personally I feel like scrambling up a five foot slab with one person telling you how to do it, one ready to catch you if you fall, and five others standing around watching is a little redicules... Quote
Necronomicon Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Â Killer technique. Seriously. Killer. Quote
erik Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 i wonder if baby jesus can climb slab? Â Â Quote
Sphinx Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Necronomicon said: Â "GUN IT!! IT'S ALL YOU!!!" Quote
scot'teryx Posted September 5, 2003 Author Posted September 5, 2003 Necronomicon said: Â CAPTION: "Cmon man! You got it! Send it! Send it! Don't look down! Â Â Â Quote
babnik Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Necronomicon said: Â "GUN IT!! IT'S ALL YOU!!!" Â no-one noticed the shorts and poly-pro! Quote
greenfork Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Â you can see where the rock has been scraped smooth on this slab problem, from over-use. that makes it harder. but it's ok, looks like they have a small crash pad. Â Â Quote
catbirdseat Posted September 5, 2003 Posted September 5, 2003 Sphinx, you are such a sporto. Alpine climbers don't get three nice big bolts from which to rappel. They have to trust some rock or manky tree they can't possibly know is 100% safe, unless it is on a very popular route (where it's still not 100% safe). The sane and the rational have reason to be concerned. Downclimbing is often the preferred alternative. Â By the way, the "rappel" in the photo is just an arm rappel or a hand line used only for low angle descents in mossy or wet gullies. The scramblers don't call themselves climbers and never do vertical rappels. Quote
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